All That Glitters
by RavenclawGenius
Summary: Triple Treble: When Aubrey and Chloe first meet Beca, they're too little to understand. But they'll grow, eventually. (Note: Our girls are CHILDREN for the first several chapters.)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** As stated in the summary, Aubrey, Beca, and Chloe are children for the first several chapters. I know it's short, and the other four that I've got are equally so, but this little thing has been hovering on my hard drive for months, and despite that I haven't added much to it since I first scribbled all of this out, I keep going back to read over it. I thought I'd let you guys do the same. Once the five chapters are published, I'm afraid this story might become like my others for a while. I'm sorry about the lack of updates, recently, but I've started college up again, and I'm working, too, so time is a commodity that I just don't have. I hope you enjoy the little updates/stories I post in the mean time, though. Let me know what you think, please!

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><p>Chloe's nervous.<p>

It's supposed to be her first day of second grade, and Chloe is _supposed_ to be walking the four blocks from her house to the school for the first time by herself. She'd been really excited about it, because, _ew_, how embarrassing is it to have her big brother walk her to school?

No. Chloe's a big girl now, and she can do it herself.

Only, Chloe's thinking now that maybe she can't. She walked this way with her brother every day for school last year, and she has the directions printed out on a piece of paper (maybe big brothers aren't _all_ bad, because Caleb was very nice to type it up for her), and Chloe's known her lefts from her rights since she was four – but she's nervous, and she thinks she might've messed it up somehow, or that maybe she turned somewhere before she was supposed to.

She should turn around and go home, she thinks. Chloe knows how to get home, because she can see the park across the street, and Chloe knows how to get home from the park. But she _wants_ to get to school by herself, and if she goes home to tell her mom that she got lost, her parents probably won't let her walk to school alone, anymore.

So she takes another determined right turn, hoisting her pale blue backpack up higher on her shoulders as she moves. Only, Chloe thinks she's already been here before. Maybe more than once.

There's a girl sitting on the front step of one of the houses who wasn't there before, but Chloe recognizes the blue house she's standing in front of, because she used to pass it every day with her brother, and Chloe remembers thinking that it's pretty, because blue is her favorite color. Like her backpack.

The girl looks younger than Chloe, but she must live here, so Chloe decides to ask for help. Her parents always told her to ask for help when she needs it, and even though she doesn't want to ask _them_, she thinks it's safe to ask another kid, probably, as long as this girl won't tell on her for getting lost.

She pulls her backpack down and drops it on the sidewalk, but before Chloe can even say 'hi,' the brown-haired girl looks up, and says simply, "You shouldn't walk alone. It's not safe. Didn't your parents teach you that?"

It's not rude, exactly; Chloe thinks it should sound mean, for some reason, but it doesn't. The little girl just sounds confused, so Chloe honestly answers, "Mommy and Daddy said I could walk to school by myself now, since I'm big enough. I'm Chloe. What's your name?"

The smaller girl frowns, but stands up and says, "Beca. Can I walk with you? You'll be safe that way."

"I- I don't – " Chloe stammers, embarrassed, as she decides that she doesn't actually want to tell this girl that she doesn't know where she's going. Because she's bigger than Beca is, and she should know how to get to school on her own. And she doesn't want Beca to tease her for not knowing how, because Chloe knows the other kids at school would do that.

"Yeah, I'll walk with you," Beca nods resolutely, dusting off the back of her pants with her hands before she snatches Chloe's backpack from the ground.

"I can carry that," Chloe beams, because she's happy that Beca seems to know where she's going, and she's happy that she didn't have to admit that she was lost.

"It's okay," Beca shrugs, slinging it over one shoulder.

"How come you don't have a backpack?" Chloe asks curiously.

"I don't go to school, yet," Beca says sheepishly, her head lowered so that her eyes can track the lines in the sidewalk, which she carefully steps over. Chloe adds a little jump over the next line, too, because she's heard she's not supposed to step on the cracks, and she forgot until she saw Beca move over them. "I'm too little. Dad says I have a late birthday."

"Well, how old are you?" Chloe tips her head sideways. "You look tiny. I started kindergarten when I was five," she says proudly.

"I'm not tiny. And I can't start school until I'm six," Beca huffs irritably.

"I'm eight," Chloe says flippantly. "But that's okay, because I think we should be friends, anyway," Chloe decides, nodding.

"I don't have friends," Beca says, frowning and closing her eyebrows together.

"But now you do," Chloe giggles, unbothered.

Beca glances up from the sidewalk to narrow her eyes at Chloe suspiciously, but Chloe thinks her face looks funny all scrunched up like that, so she just grins back at her and politely decides that she probably shouldn't say anything; her mom says it's rude to tell people when they're making funny faces.

"Why do you wanna be _my_ friend?" Beca asks skeptically. "I'm only five. Don't you have bigger kids to be friends with?"

"Of course I do, silly," Chloe says cheerfully, but her smile falters a little, because Beca looks really sad all of a sudden, and Chloe decides that she doesn't like that. "But Daddy says you can never have too many friends, and I don't mind that you're littler than me, so I think we should be friends, too. Because you're walking me to school, even when you don't have to go, and I _hate_ going to school when I don't have to, so that's really nice of you."

"You're weird," Beca resolves, bowing her head again.

Chloe's mom says it's rude to call people weird, too, but she doesn't think Beca means it bad like some of the other kids in Chloe's class do, because Chloe's pretty sure that she saw Beca smiling a little before she ducked her head, so she doesn't say anything.

Chloe thinks Beca's face looks a little red, though, and she wonders if maybe Beca's sick. But then she thinks that Beca doesn't _sound_ sick, and that if she was, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to play outside, so she must be okay.

"Here," Beca says, thrusting Chloe's backpack against her chest.

Chloe didn't realize they'd made their way to her school yet, but she lets out a happy squeal when she figures out where she is, and she straps her backpack over her shoulders again.

"Thanks!" Chloe chirps happily, and leans in to press her lips against Beca's cheek with a loud smacking noise that makes her giggle.

But Beca coils backward and demands, "Why did you do that?"

Chloe shrugs carelessly, and answers, "Mommy kisses Daddy's cheek when he carries stuff for her, so I think I should kiss yours when you carry my stuff, too."

Beca looks redder than before. A lot redder than before, Chloe thinks, and she laughs, even though she doesn't say anything, because she thinks Beca looks like a strawberry, and Chloe thinks it's cute. Like when babies turn red when they cry too much.

Beca frowns again, and huffs again, but says, "I think you're late for school, Chloe. All the other kids went inside, see?"

"Oh!" Chloe realizes, startled. "I am! Thanks for walking with me!"

Beca shrugs, and says, "I'll walk you home at three o'clock, okay? So don't walk by yourself," she orders.

"You can tell time?" Chloe asks, impressed.

Chloe can't tell time very well, yet. Her mom's been trying to show her, but it's really hard, and it's not very fun. And Chloe still doesn't understand what hands are doing on a clock, anyway.

Beca taps two fingers across the face of a digital watch strapped around her wrist, and says, "My dad gave this to me so I know when he'll be home. He gets home at six," Beca explains, "and I know my numbers up to twelve. So I'll know when it's three o'clock, okay? Don't walk by yourself," she repeats. "It's not safe, and you have to be very careful. Dad tells me that all the time."

"But won't you be walking home alone?" Chloe asks, biting her lower lip.

She hadn't thought about it before, because she was lost and happy for the help, but Beca _is_ younger than she is, and Chloe probably shouldn't let _her_ walk home alone, right? Because Beca really doesn't seem to like the idea of kids walking by themselves, and Chloe's parents just now said it was okay for her to go to school on her own, so maybe Beca isn't big enough, yet.

"I'll be okay," Beca promises. "I know how to get home. I'll wait here for you at three to make sure you don't get lost again."

Chloe's face feels hot, but she mumbles, "You weren't supposed to know I was lost."

"Well I like to count things," Beca shrugs, and Chloe's happy that Beca doesn't care if she was lost, "and you walked by my window three times, so I went outside to see if you needed help, because Dad says if someone needs help, then you should give it to them, even though they sometimes don't like to ask for it."

"Your dad sounds nice," Chloe smiles.

"He is," Beca grins, and Chloe doesn't think she's actually seen Beca smile for real yet until now, but it looks good on her, and it takes up almost her whole face! "He's really smart, too, and he says I'm smart like he is – but if I'm smart, I should go to school. And he still won't let me."

"That's okay," Chloe says brightly. "That just means you'll be the smartest kid in your class when you go next year."

"Yeah?" Beca asks, scuffing her shoe across the sidewalk.

"Yup!" Chloe beams, popping the 'p' even though her brother says that's annoying. But he's just a stupid brother anyway, so Chloe doesn't care.

"Okay, well I'll wait for you," Beca promises again.

"Okay!" Chloe agrees, leaping forward to wrap Beca in an extra tight hug. "I'll see you after school."

"Um…" Beca fumbles, awkwardly patting Chloe's back with her hands.

Chloe thinks it's weird that Beca doesn't hug back, but sometimes Aubrey doesn't like to hug, either, so she doesn't mind too much.

"Okay. Okay, you can let go now," Beca huffs, frustrated, before she pulls away a little. "Bye," she says, flipping a hand up to wave at Chloe before shoving them both into her pockets.

"Bye, Beca! Thanks again!" Chloe waves back before running into the building, throwing Beca a wide grin over her shoulder on the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I have to be honest, I kind of figured that a fic beginning with the girls as tiny humans might cause a lack of interest in the story, a bit. I'm happy to see that I was incorrect. You guys are amazing, and I'm glad you're enjoying this so far. Here's a reward for your unfailing loyalty, readers. : ) Thanks!

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><p>"She's little!" Aubrey exclaims when Chloe points Beca out to her after dismissal.<p>

"Yeah, but she's really nice, Bree!" Chloe defends instantly. "She walked me to school even though I was lost."

"She's little," Aubrey repeats. "Is she in kindergarten?"

"No. She can't go to school, yet. She's five," Chloe explains, shaking her head. "But she's smart. She knows how to tell time like you," Chloe boasts proudly.

"How does she know how to get to school if she doesn't go to school yet?" Aubrey frowns. "That's weird."

"That's not very nice," Chloe frowns back. "She's not weird. She's just younger than us. C'mon, you can meet her. You'll like her, too. And she doesn't have any friends except for me, so you can be her friend, too."

"But I don't want to be her friend," Aubrey argues. "And you're _my_ friend. How can you be hers, too?"

"I can be friends with lots of people!" Chloe says, moving them toward Beca, sitting hunched over on the curb and playing with the laces on her shoe. "It's how I'm friends with Jason in Mrs. Kimmel's class, too. How come you don't wanna be her friend?" Chloe asks.

"Because," Aubrey sighs, "she's _little_. And we're in second grade, now, Chloe. We can't be friends with five year olds."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Aubrey blusters. "Because we're older," she explains more calmly, and Chloe's just happy that it doesn't sound so much like Aubrey is yelling at her anymore, "and we like to do different things."

"Like what?" Chloe asks.

Aubrey tries to answer, but Beca stands up and dusts off her pants again, smiling a little at Chloe even though she looks really confused.

"Hi!" Chloe greets excitably.

"Hi," Beca answers, waving at Chloe even though she's watching Aubrey with a weird look on her face.

"Beca, this is my friend Aubrey. Aubrey, this is Beca!" Chloe introduces hopefully.

She knows Aubrey doesn't want to be friends with Beca, but she still doesn't understand why, and she thinks Aubrey's being silly. And she thinks Aubrey and Beca should be friends, too, so that they can all play together since they live so close.

"Is she gonna walk you home?" Beca asks, frowning.

"Well, Aubrey lives next door to me, so she's gonna walk with us," Chloe explains.

"That's okay," Beca says, scratching behind her ear a little. "You can walk home with her and I'll go wait for my dad."

"But I want you to walk with us," Chloe pouts.

"Aubrey got to school by herself," Beca shrugs, "so she knows how to get home, right?"

"Of course I do," Aubrey scoffs.

Chloe feels even more embarrassed that she couldn't figure it out, especially since Aubrey knows how, and had told Chloe lots of times today that she should know by now how to get to school. But Aubrey's smarter than Chloe is, because Chloe's brother says Chloe gets distracted too easily, which is probably why she couldn't remember the route to school this morning, anyway. And Aubrey's mom drives her to school in the mornings on the way to work, so Aubrey's only there to walk home with Chloe, and she couldn't show her the way this morning.

"So if she's here, you don't need me to show you how," Beca says softly. "It's okay."

"But you're my friend, and I thought we could play together," Chloe argues. "Please?" She pouts.

Beca's face looks funny for a second, like she's confused and maybe nervous, so Chloe bounds forward and hugs her again. "Please?" She asks again, trying not to giggle as Beca's soft hair tickles under her nose.

"Stop doing that," Beca instructs, frowning. "Why do you hug me all the time?"

"Chloe hugs _everyone_ all the time," Aubrey says haughtily. "Don't worry, you aren't special."

Chloe thinks Aubrey's being mean to Beca, which isn't fair, because Beca hasn't been mean to her at all. Sometimes Aubrey isn't nice to the other kids in their class, either, but she's mostly only rude to them when they're mean to her, or to Chloe. And Beca _helped _Chloe, so that means that Aubrey should be nice.

"Be nice," Chloe tells her.

Aubrey rolls her eyes, but says, "Well, we're walking home now. So you can walk with us until we get to your house, okay?"

"I can walk by myself," Beca says stubbornly. "I know how."

"Then walk by yourself," Aubrey huffs, throwing her arms up.

"Don't," Chloe disagrees, glaring at Aubrey. "We'll all walk together, so Beca's not alone. C'mon, Becs."

"That's not my name," Beca sighs, but gestures them both forward, pushing Chloe a little so that Beca's walking by the road, instead.

"Why'd you push me?" Chloe frowns. Beca's nice, so why is she pushing her?

"I need to walk here," Beca shrugs, "and you were in my way."

"Chloe was walking there," Aubrey says, narrowing her eyes.

"Well now I'm walking here," Beca says simply.

"How come?" Chloe asks before Aubrey can say anything. Because Aubrey's turning a little white, now, and that sometimes happens before Aubrey throws up everywhere. And Chloe never says so when it happens, because usually Aubrey's crying, but that's gross, so she thinks maybe she should ask Beca before Aubrey gets the chance to.

"Dad always makes sure I walk on the inside by the grass so that I don't get hurt. So I'm making sure you guys don't get hurt," Beca explains, watching the sidewalk again and skipping forward a little to make sure she clears the crack.

Chloe grins at her and jumps over it, too, and Beca smiles a little, glancing at her from the corner of her lowered blue eyes. Chloe thinks Beca's eyes are pretty, too, because they're her favorite color, even though they're a darker blue than Chloe usually likes.

"He does that so that you don't get hit by a _car_," Aubrey rolls her eyes. Then she pauses. "You shouldn't be walking over there, either," she adds more gently.

"Well if I don't walk here, Chloe will," Beca frowns, "and I don't want her to get run over like that cat I saw before, so it's okay. I'll walk here, and be very careful."

"But you're so little I bet the cars can't even see you!" Chloe giggles. "Here," she says, handing Beca her backpack. "Your ninja shirt is cool, but it's too dark. Blue will make sure people see you so you don't get hit."

"They're ninja _turtles_," Beca huffs, accepting the pack and allowing Chloe to slip the bands up her arms from behind her. "Don't you watch TV?" Beca asks curiously, gripping her fingers around the cushiony parts of the straps.

"TV rots your mind," Aubrey says, sighing. Chloe doesn't even know what that means, but Aubrey says that her dad says it all the time, and that it means something about like how bananas turn brown when you wait too long to eat them. But Chloe doesn't even like bananas, so she still watches TV when she feels like it. "You should read, instead. Can you even read?" Aubrey asks, and Chloe thinks she sounds tired, even though Aubrey doesn't usually get sleepy until at least dinnertime, because then she starts getting grumpy like she is now.

Beca frowns. "I can read."

"Really?" Aubrey asks doubtfully. "What do you read?"

Beca shrugs, and says, "I like _The Little Prince_, when I read by myself. Dad reads me a book called _The Odyssey,_" Beca says slowly, and Chloe thinks it's probably because that's a really hard word, "but it confuses me, and they talk weird. But he says it has gods like in _Hercules_, and the man in it has to go home, because everyone thinks he died, but he didn't."

Chloe doesn't totally understand, and she thinks Beca's too little to read about people _dying_, because Chloe's mom still won't even let her finish watching _Bambi_, even though Chloe knows what happens from the kids in her class. (Chloe thinks her mom just doesn't want to watch it, but that's okay, because Chloe doesn't really want to watch that part, anyway.) But she likes _Hercules_ a lot, because Meg isn't really a Disney princess – Aubrey tells her that all the time – but she's still Chloe's favorite one.

"Meg's my favorite Disney princess," Chloe declares, grinning.

"She's _not_ a Disney princess," Aubrey frowns. "All the Disney princesses are on my lunchbox, Chloe: Jasmine, and Belle, and Cinderella, and – "

"Meg should be one, too," Chloe interrupts passionately. "Don't you think, Becs?"

"That's not my _name_," Beca says again, irritated. "And I don't know what you're talking about."

"What?" Chloe frowns. "Weren't you listening, silly? The princesses!"

Beca shrugs. "I only watched _Hercules_, 'cause Dad said he couldn't read me the book until I saw the gods and stuff first, 'cause he said it was too hard to explain it."

"You haven't seen _any_ other Disney movies?" Aubrey asks, surprised.

"I don't like movies," Beca says simply. "They take too long."

"You're weird," Aubrey decides.

"_Be_ _nice_," Chloe says again, with more emphasis.

"I wasn't being mean!" Aubrey says defensively. "I was just saying. What kid doesn't like movies?"

"Dad says just because I'm little doesn't mean I should act like it," Beca says, "and that if I like to read and count things instead of watching movies, then it's okay, because it'll make me smart."

"My dad won't let me watch TV," Aubrey says, but Chloe thinks she sounds weird. But sometimes Aubrey sounds like that when she talks about her dad, so she doesn't worry too much. "Only movies, sometimes, if I do really well at math. But I'm better at spelling, so I don't get to watch them that much unless I go to Chloe's."

"That's dumb. You guys can watch a movie at Chloe's house when I go home, so I don't have to watch it, and Aubrey gets to."

Aubrey looks happy about that, and she smiles at Beca when she says it, but Chloe's not as excited.

"We can play at your house first, though!" Chloe says, determined to make Beca play some, too. "And then Bree and me can go watch a movie!"

"You can't play at my house," Beca frowns.

"How come?" Chloe pouts.

"My mom won't like it. And Dad doesn't come home until six," Beca says firmly. "You can't go to my house ever, okay? She'll be really mad."

"Then can you come play at my house?" Chloe asks hopefully.

She's confused, because sometimes her mom gets mad at Caleb when he brings girls over and shuts his bedroom door, but she says that's only because he's a boy, and boys and girls shouldn't be alone at his age, whatever that means. He's only fourteen; he's not _that_ much bigger than Chloe, but Chloe's still allowed to play with Jason from Mrs. Kimmel's class in her room if she wants to, so she doesn't really understand. She also doesn't understand why Beca's mom would be upset if Chloe and Aubrey came over, because they're both girls, anyway, but Beca doesn't want her to go there at all, so Chloe decides that they can play at her house.

She just needs Beca to say that she will, that's all.

"Are you sure?" Beca asks skeptically. "You guys can play together if you want," she says. "It's okay. I play by myself all the time," she shrugs.

"You can play with us," Aubrey tells her.

Chloe grins. She's surprised, but she's happy that Aubrey changed her mind about being Beca's friend, even if she doesn't really get why.

"See?" Chloe prods. "Come play with us!"

"Okay," Beca agrees, but Chloe thinks it takes a really long time. "But I have to be home before six o'clock."

"That's okay," Chloe beams. "We can play until then."

And they try.


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe's mom brings them a snack around four-thirty, and carries it up to the treehouse in Chloe's backyard before she asks what time Beca needs to be home.

"By six," Beca says. "That's when my dad comes home."

"Well, I'll come get you when it's time, and we'll drive you there; how does that sound?" Chloe's mom asks kindly, smiling at Beca.

"That's okay," Beca shakes her head. "I can walk. Thank you," she adds politely.

Chloe giggles, because she always forgets to say 'thank you,' and her mom has to remind her all the time, so she bets her mom really likes that Beca remembers.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Beale dismisses. "We can take you. It was very sweet of you to help Chloe on her way to school, Miss Beca," she says playfully. "I'm sure your mother would love to hear about it."

Beca shakes her head again. "I can walk. It's not very far away, and my mom probably isn't home. And I don't think she'd care very much, anyway," she says, shrugging and stacking a red Lego on top of her blue one.

Chloe looks at her mom to figure out why she hasn't left them to play yet, but her mom is frowning with her head poking through the small entrance to the treehouse, and she asks, "Well, who stays at home with you, dear?"

Beca shrugs again. "I stay by myself a lot. Sometimes my mom's home, but she's usually asleep and she gets really mad when I wake her up, so I try to be quiet. But sometimes she tells me to leave so I can't make trouble, so I go walk around and stuff even though Dad says I'm not supposed to walk by myself. But it's okay, because my mom tells me to, and I'm supposed to do what she says. And I'm very careful, just like Dad told me, and I don't talk to strangers unless they're kids like Chloe. And Chloe's the only kid I talked to because she needed help, so I don't think Dad would be mad at me. And he says if I ever get lost or need help when he's not there, then I should ask a lady with another kid like me to help me, so I think it's okay if I talk to you, too."

Chloe looks back at her mom when Beca's done talking, and impatiently asks, "Can we play some more, now?"

Chloe's mom has a weird look on her face, but she doesn't answer Chloe's question. "Beca, you said your dad will be home at six? Do you think it's alright if I wait for him with you?"

"If you want," Beca answers quietly. "But he might not come."

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

Chloe sighs and exchanges an annoyed look with Aubrey, but Aubrey leans over to whisper, "I think your mom is scared of Beca being home by herself."

Oh. Chloe guesses that makes sense. Beca's littler than they are, even, and they're still not supposed to be home by themselves. And Chloe was only ever by herself that one time, when Caleb left to go to the store for a frozen pizza, and Chloe's mom was very mad at him when she got back and figured out that he wasn't there.

"He gets home from work at six," Beca explains. "But I like to count things, and he hasn't been home at six for twelve days."

"Well, what time did he get home?" Mrs. Beale asks gently.

Beca shrugs, ruffling through the Lego pieces spread in front of her with her tongue sticking out until she finds another red one that's the same size as the others she's stacked together. "He didn't come home. I think he went on a trip and forgot to tell me, because he's never late. Dad doesn't like to be late, because he says it's not polite, and he comes home at six o'clock every day. My alarm goes off at six, see?" Beca says, dropping her Lego tower creation to proudly lift her right wrist into the air and show off her watch to Chloe's mom. "Every day. So I know when he's supposed to be home. But some of his stuff is gone, so that's why I think he's on a trip. I tried to ask my mom where he went, but she told me not to be stupid and then made me go play, so I don't think Dad told her where he was going, and I don't know when he's supposed to be back," Beca says miserably. "But I wait for him at six, because that's when he comes home, so maybe he'll come home today."

Chloe frowns, because Beca's mom shouldn't call her _stupid_. Especially not since she's so smart, because Chloe thinks Beca's smarter than most of the kids in her class, and even Aubrey likes her, now, so she can't be _stupid_. And stupid is a mean word, anyway.

She looks back at her mom, but her mom looks really sad, and Chloe thinks she's about to cry. "Mommy?" Chloe asks softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Mrs. Beale dismisses, waving a hand and clearing her throat. "Nothing's wrong, baby. But, Beca, sweetie, I'm afraid I really need to meet your mom now, okay?"

"But she'll be mad," Beca frowns at her Legos, holding one in each of her hands before she looks up at Mrs. Beale.

"That's alright," Chloe's mom says, smiling, even though Chloe thinks it doesn't look the same as it does usually. "I can handle it. I just want to speak with her."

Beca hesitates, then says, "Okay. But we might have to go get her."

"Where from?" Mrs. Beale asks.

Beca shrugs. "I don't know what the place is called. I only know how to get there."

"Well, how about we take a ride and see if she's at home first, and if not, then you can show me where to find her. Is that alright?"

"Okay," Beca sighs.

"Okay, then why don't you get ready to leave, honey," Mrs. Beale suggests.

Beca frowns, looks down at her Legos for a long time, and asks quietly, "Does this mean I'm not allowed to play here anymore?"

"Of course not," Mrs. Beale frowns.

"Yeah, you can come play whenever you want," Chloe says brightly.

"Why would you think you can't play here?" Aubrey asks, snorting. "Chloe and I like to play, and you're fun to play with. For a five year old," she adds hastily, turning a little pink.

Beca looks at them for a really long time, Chloe thinks – even longer than she stared at her Legos, before – and then she turns back to look at Chloe's mom. "But you said I have to leave," Beca says, looking confused. "Doesn't that mean you don't want me here anymore?"

"No, dear," Mrs. Beale says sadly. "You're welcome here whenever you like. We love having you. I just want to make sure we get you settled in at home before it gets too late, alright?"

"Oh," Beca says, though Chloe thinks she still looks lost. "Okay."

"We'll come, too! To say bye to Beca, right, Bree?" Chloe asks, jumping up to her feet.

"Alright," Aubrey agrees. "We can go say bye, but then I want to watch a movie, okay?"

"Okay," Chloe says, satisfied. "Are we going right now, Mom?"

"I think that's a good idea," Chloe's mom nods. "Just give me a minute to talk to your father while you girls get down from here, and then I'll be ready to go."

Chloe's mom disappears with a small smile, and Beca starts moving her Legos back into the box they came from.

"You don't have to do that," Chloe giggles. "Mommy and Daddy don't come in here 'cause they're too big and it's just for kids, so they don't care if there's a mess."

Beca shrugs. "My mom says I have to pick up my toys when I'm done playing with them so they don't get in her way, 'cause sometimes she steps on them and then she yells a lot. And I don't want you and Aubrey to step on them and be hurt or get mad, so I can do it."

Chloe nods in understanding, because she's stepped on a Lego before and those pointy edges really _do_ hurt, and they're so small that the pieces are hard to see, sometimes, when Chloe doesn't remember that they're there. So she and Aubrey help Beca pack away their toys before they have to leave.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>So, you guys are smart cookies; I'm sure you can see, by this point, that not all is well in Beca's home life. I'm apparently incapable of writing this fic without angst; it's definitely coming, guys. If domestic disturbance isn't your cup of tea, then the next several chapters probably aren't for you. I'll include this at the beginning of the relevant chapters, but the next two, at least, have the potential to become _triggers_. Thanks for reading, all, and let me know what you think. I know the story's getting a little dark, but I hope you stick around.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **I'm happy to see that so many of you stuck around. Now, as I mentioned before, I only have five chapters of this typed. That means that, as much as I'd like to continue with daily updates, you'll only have this one and one more. Enjoy it while it lasts, folks; I make no promises regarding updates following tomorrow's posting.

Also, this is your _trigger warning_. **If you are sensitive in regards to child neglect/abuse, do not read further.**

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><p>A little while later, as Chloe lowers her legs to climb down the ladder of the treehouse to the ground, she looks up and asks Beca, "Where do you think your dad went?"<p>

"I dunno," Beca says. "But I hope he brings me some presents for when he gets home."

"That's always my favorite part when my dad goes out of town," Aubrey says, climbing down after Chloe.

It takes a few minutes for Beca to get down, too, because Chloe thinks her legs are a little too small for the steps, but afterward, they meet Chloe's mom in the kitchen. But Chloe's dad is there, too, and he says, "Hi, girls. Beca, I'm Mr. Beale," he introduces with a small smile. "And I thought I should thank you for taking care of our Chloe today."

"That's okay," Beca shuffles her feet around awkwardly. "I didn't mind."

"Such a sweetheart," Chloe's mom smiles a little, but Chloe still doesn't think it looks right on her face.

"Alright, everyone hop in the car," Mr. Beale says with a heavy sigh, trading a look with Chloe's mom that Chloe doesn't understand. But she thinks it's bad, because she's only seen her dad look this way once before, at one of Caleb's basketball games, and he yelled a lot at the guy in the black and white stripes until they weren't allowed to watch the game anymore.

When they stop at Beca's house, Beca rushes inside with Chloe's mom right behind her, but after a little bit, they come back out. Chloe's mom shakes her head when Chloe's dad looks at her, but Chloe's just happy to spend a little more time with Beca in the car, so she isn't worried.

"Alright, sweetheart, can you tell us where to go to find her?" Mrs. Beale asks softly, twisting around from the passenger seat to face Beca, buckled up in the very back seats of the SUV so that all three girls could sit together.

"Yeah," Beca nods. "Drive that way," she points. "Then turn after you see three stop signs."

"I'm taking directions from a five year old," Mr. Beale puffs out. "This is the worst kind of backseat driving. My pride hurts."

Chloe doesn't get what he means, but her mom laughs a little and swats him on the arm. When they get to the stop sign Beca told them about, Chloe's mom asks, "Which way do we turn, Beca?"

"That way," Beca says, hitching her thumb outward.

"That's left!" Chloe announces when her mother says she can't see where Beca's pointing.

Beca looks confused.

"Look, see," Aubrey says, taking Beca's hands in her own and unfurling them, pushing the younger girl's fingers together and separating her thumb. "That's an 'L,'" she says, gesturing to Beca's left hand. "And 'left' starts with an 'L,' so that's how you can remember."

"Oh," Beca says, then, slowly, she nods. "Yeah, left," she agrees, grinning at Aubrey.

Chloe grins at them both, because that's how Aubrey taught her to remember, too, and it still works, even though she's older, now.

Beca keeps telling Chloe's parents where to go, and every now and then she'll look to Aubrey to make sure she got her lefts and rights straight. Aubrey fixes it when Beca gets it wrong, and she rolls her eyes, some, too, but Chloe thinks that's normal for Aubrey; she rolls her eyes at Chloe a lot, also.

Chloe isn't sure where they end up, but she's never been here before. There are pretty pink and blue lights with words on them, and it takes Chloe a second to read it, but the signs say 'OPEN' on them in bright letters. She thinks that's a little silly, because Beca's alarm on her watch hasn't even gone off, and that means it's not even six o'clock, yet, so why wouldn't they be open?

"_This_ is where your mom is?" Chloe's dad asks, but she thinks he sounds angry.

She fuses her brows together and looks at Beca, who shrinks down a little in her seat. "It's okay. I can go get her and walk home. Thanks for driving me," Beca says quietly.

"No, dear," Mrs. Beale rejects swiftly. "We still want to talk to her, okay? And make sure you get home safely."

"Are you sure?" Beca asks, and Chloe thinks she sounds even smaller than she is, somehow. "Mr. Beale sounds mad," she mutters nervously.

"Not at you, honey," Chloe's mom says quickly.

Chloe's pretty sure that her mom just shoved her elbow into her dad's tummy, too, before her dad says, "I'm not angry with you, Beca. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken that way. Can you tell us what your mom looks like, so that we can find her?"

Beca shakes her head, pops her seatbelt open, and jumps out of the car, clambering over Chloe to get to the door. Before she closes it, she says, "It's faster if I do it myself. I'll go get her and bring her outside."

"Wait, Beca!" Chloe's mom cries out, before she chases her outside, leaving the car door parted in her hurry to reach Chloe's new friend.

"Why can't Beca go get her mom by herself?" Aubrey frowns. "It's not that far. Look, we can see the door from here."

"That's- It's not a safe place for kids to be," Chloe's dad says, though it takes him a second, and he still looks really mad.

Chloe looks at Aubrey and takes her hand, because Chloe doesn't like it when her parents get mad at all, but it's really weird this time, because she doesn't understand why they're both so upset. She hopes they're telling the truth, and that they aren't mad at Beca; Chloe really likes her, and she thinks Beca's a really good friend, so she wants to be able to play with her tomorrow, too.

"It's okay," Aubrey says mutedly, so Chloe's dad can't hear, while she squeezes Chloe's hand a little tighter. "I think they're mad at Beca's mom, but I don't understand why. They haven't even met her yet."

Chloe glances out the window, and she sees her own mom kneeling down and putting her hands on Beca's shoulders. They're talking too quietly for Chloe to hear, even with the open car door, but eventually Beca nods her head and walks away, moving toward a really big man dressed in all black.

"Hello, Beca," the large man greets, and he sounds more tired than Aubrey did, earlier – like it's _way_ past his bedtime, and he hates everything but his pillow.

Chloe gets like that, sometimes. But usually only when she's sick. It's okay, though, because he doesn't sound angry, and he smiles down at Beca, so Chloe knows that he's not mad at her, either.

"Hi, Tommy," Beca says back, waving. "Is my mom here?"

The big man looks over at Chloe's mom, who frowns, but nods at him to tell him it's okay to answer her.

"She's here. C'mon, I'll help you bring her out, kid," Tommy says.

"Is she really sleepy today?" Beca asks, and Chloe thinks she sounds really worried, so that makes her sad. "I only need help when she's really sleepy," Beca tells him.

"Yeah," the man says gloomily. "Yeah, she's real sleepy today, Becaroo. You go on in; she's right inside, same place as always. I'll be there in a second."

Beca smiles at him and says 'thank you' before she waves at Chloe's mom and says, "I'll be right back."

Chloe's mom stays outside while Beca goes in, but Chloe can see her mom watching Beca really closely, like she does to Chloe when she gets to go shoe shopping and doesn't want her mom to hover too much while she decides on her favorites.

"I'm sorry about this, and I don't mean to intrude, but my little girl brought Beca home to play with her today, and Beca said some things that had me a little- concerned about her home life," Chloe's mom explains to the big man.

Chloe doesn't understand what most of that means, but her mom is really worried about Beca for some reason, and that upsets Chloe.

"I don't blame you," the man sighs. "I didn't used to worry much about it, because little Beca used to come in with her dad to get her every night, but the past week or two Beca's come by herself. It's usually not until a little later on, you know, but Beca always comes for her. It's not my place to argue with parenting – I'm a bouncer, not a father," he laughs a little, "but that little girl's special. She's smart, and she's strong, but I don't know where she gets it from. If her mom's blathering is anything to go by, her daddy took off not too long ago without so much as a goodbye to the kid, the damn coward, and I've seen how that lady treats Beca; it's borderline abusive, the way she talks to her, and she's grabbed her pretty rough around the arms more than once, too. And she ain't in no shape to be doing much parenting, anyway. She's an addict, ma'am. I don't like to judge, and I'd be fired for saying so about a bar patron who shells out as much as her mother does every night, but that little girl deserves better."

Chloe's mom sighs heavily, but nods. "I was afraid of that. Listen, I have my daughter and another one of her friends in the car with us," she hesitates for a second. "Is it- I mean, is Beca's mother fit enough to be around children right now, so that we can take her with us?"

Tommy snorts, and shrugs, "She's sprawled halfway across the bar by now, but I ain't gonna lie to you; she's a mean drunk. She'll probably fall asleep in the car, but I can't promise you she won't edge in a few words, first. Sometimes I pay the cab to take them home, if she's hit the sauce a little too heavily to walk back with Beca like she has tonight. I worry about that girl," he says softly. "I don't spend much time around kids, but I don't think most five year olds know their way around town so well. Even still, I don't like her walking in the dark alone. And her mother ain't gonna be much help if somethin' goes wrong, y'know."

"Alright," Chloe's mom says sadly. "Could you help us get her in the car, if it's not too much trouble?"

"Sure thing," Tommy says, glancing behind him. Chloe can't see what he's looking at, exactly, but she's pretty sure it's Beca, because she comes back out through the door a couple seconds later with a lady who looks a little like her, and Chloe thinks that must be Beca's mom.

But Beca's mom isn't standing straight, and she's holding onto Beca shoulder, so Beca wavers a little as she grabs her mom's hand in her own and wraps it around her neck, leaning into her to keep her more upright.

But Chloe thinks Beca's way too tiny to hold her mom by herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** It's a bit late, I admit, but I did promise you an update today, and I didn't forget. This is the last of the pre-written chapters, and as I mentioned before, I cannot promise that another update will be quick to appear. Still, I hope you enjoy it; it's the longest chapter yet, so maybe that'll make things a little easier? Maybe? ...

Also, this is your _trigger warning_. **If you are sensitive in regards to child neglect/abuse, do not read further.**

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><p>"Mrs. Mitchell," Chloe's mom greets, but Chloe thinks her nose looks like it's wrinkling, like how it gets when her brother waits too long to take out the trash. Caleb always does that.<p>

"Who the hell are you?"

"Daddy, that's a bad word," Chloe says, frowning at her father.

"Yeah, it is, baby," her dad answers quietly, but he keeps his eyes focused on the window, so Chloe scoots closer to Aubrey so that she can see better out of theirs, too.

"I don't think Beca's mom looks very nice like Beca," Aubrey says tentatively.

"Me neither," Chloe whispers back. "How come she can't walk by herself? Is she dizzy?" She asks a little more loudly.

She glances over at her dad for an answer, but he doesn't reply, so Chloe turns back to the window, leaning over Aubrey's lap to press her palm against it for a better look.

"Parker Beale," Chloe's mom answers eventually, even though Chloe thinks it takes a really long time. But she guesses that's because her mom moved over to help Beca, swinging Mrs. Mitchell's limp arm over her shoulders. "Your daughter walked my little girl to school this morning, and Beca spent the afternoon playing in our home, if you happened to wonder where she might have been."

Chloe doesn't think she's ever heard her mom sound so mean, but she still doesn't get why she's angry, and she doesn't really get what she's trying to say to Mrs. Mitchell, either.

"I've told you not to be a bother, Rebeca."

Chloe thinks Mrs. Mitchell sounds mad, but she isn't sure, because her words don't seem like they're coming out the way that they're supposed to; they kind of smoosh together, and it's hard for Chloe to understand her.

"I wasn't a bother," Beca shakes her head. "I was good, Mama," she adds, grunting under the pressure of her mother's weight. "I said 'thank you' like Dad told me, and I said I could walk home by myself so they wouldn't have to drive me, but they said they wanted to meet you. But I was good, and I didn't make trouble, Mama, I promise," Beca vows earnestly.

Beca's nice, Chloe thinks, frowning. And she's not loud, either, so Chloe doesn't understand how her mom says she's a bother at all, because she even put all of her Legos away when they were done playing, even though Chloe said she didn't have to. And Beca says she only ever plays by herself, anyway, so Chloe doesn't think she could make _too_ much of a mess…

"You're always making trouble," Beca's mom rolls her eyes as the big man named Tommy moves toward Beca. "Always with the damn trouble, ever since you were born."

"Why is she saying so many bad words, Mr. Beale?" Aubrey asks, frowning.

"I don't think she's a very nice lady," Chloe's dad answers, frowning hard as he shifts his neck to curve around the driver's seat so that he can face them. "Don't pay her any mind, girls. And when she gets here, you just leave her be, alright? I don't think she wants to talk much."

But Chloe and Aubrey don't answer, because there's more talking happening outside and Chloe just wants to understand what's _happening_. It's been a very weird night.

"You shouldn't speak to her that way," Chloe's mom says, pausing in her movements toward the car to glare at the woman she's holding up.

"Scoot on over, Becaroo," Tommy tells Beca. "I think Mrs. Beale and me can get her to the car a little faster, don't you think, pipsqueak?"

"Don't call me pipsqueak. I know what that means, and I'm not little," Beca huffs, but moves out of the way like she's told, carefully moving her mom's arm to let Tommy take her place.

"Sure thing, Little Bit," Tommy winks at her. "Why don't you run in and grab a baggy from Frank, huh?"

Beca shrugs, runs inside, and stays there for a long time. Chloe wishes she would hurry faster, though, because her dad said it wasn't safe for kids and no one is watching Beca except for Chloe, now, since her mom has to focus on carrying Mrs. Mitchell, instead.

"She's just a bucket of sunshine, isn't she?" Chloe's mom mutters dryly.

"I told you she ain't pleasant," Tommy says tiredly. "That your car over there?" He asks, nodding his head towards the SUV.

"Yes. Thank you," Chloe's mom adds. "I really appreciate you doing this."

Tommy shrugs. "It ain't a big deal. And besides, little Beca's kinda special to us around here, so we take care of her when we can."

"Oh, that girl isn't special," Beca's mom slurs. "She's a goddamn nuisance. Never even wanted her," she mumbles, tripping over a rock. "Taking care of that girl has destroyed my career. Her daddy's the only reason she's even _here_, and he's gone and taken off now, so I'm fortunate enough to get stuck with the little twerp."

"Your poor life decisions are your own mistake, if that's the case," Chloe's mom hisses abruptly. "And that's a very sweet little girl you have in there, if you've even bothered to notice – though I imagine you probably haven't, given that you're sloshed already and the sun hasn't even gone down."

"You're more than welcome to take her off my hands, dear, if you're so fucking fond of her," Beca's mom spits back waspishly.

Chloe's eyes widen, and Aubrey gasps.

"Daddy!" Chloe cries out. "She can't say that!"

"We'll tell her about bad words later on, Chloe," her dad answers, though Chloe thinks his mouth is twisting and twitching like it's really not supposed to.

"You'd be doing her a favor, I think," Chloe's mom answers rudely, just as Beca sprints out from the building with a brown paper baggy in her hands.

Aubrey squeezes Chloe's hand a little tighter, and Chloe thinks that maybe Aubrey was nervous about Beca going inside, too.

"Good job, kid," Tommy smiles at Beca, shifting to take Mrs. Mitchell's full weight on his own while Chloe's mom opens the back door of the car again.

Chloe's a little scared, because she already doesn't think she likes Beca's mom at _all_, and she doesn't really want to spend any time with her. But that's okay, because Chloe's dad told her and Aubrey not to talk to Mrs. Mitchell, anyway.

"Now you go on back and get some sleep, alright, kid?" Tommy asks, rubbing a wide palm over Beca's head.

Chloe giggles a little when pieces of Beca's hair stick up funny on her head.

"Stop doing that," Beca says, irritated, combing her fingers through her hair to smooth it down again. "Bye, Tommy. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I hope not, Becaroo," Tommy says, smiling sadly down at her. "Sweet dreams."

Beca rolls her eyes and folds her arms across her chest. "_You_ have sweet dreams. I'm not even sleepy."

Tommy barks out a laugh. "You're a good kid, Beca. You just do what Mrs. Beale says, alright?"

"Okay," Beca shrugs thoughtlessly. "Bye."

"Thank you again for your help," Mrs. Beale smiles at him appreciatively as he lowers Beca's mom over the middle seats.

"Sure thing. Ya'll have a good night," he bids, waving goodbye, and smiling a little at Chloe and Aubrey through the window. Chloe smiles anxiously and waves back, but Aubrey doesn't really move, because she's watching Beca's mom very closely.

Beca climbs into the middle seats, closing the door behind her as Chloe's mom slips back into the passenger side of the car.

Chloe frowns, and whispers, "Come sit back here with us, Becs."

Beca looks back and shakes her head. "I can't. Sometimes my mom gets sick and I have to make sure she doesn't get it on the car, and it goes in the baggy instead," Beca says, waving the paper bag in her hands. "It can't go in her hair, either, because then we have to wash it before she goes to sleep, and she gets really mad."

Chloe's parents are murmuring in the front of the car, but Chloe can't hear what they're saying, so she sighs and squeezes Aubrey's hand again. She doesn't really understand what's happening, but everyone seems really angry and sad, and she doesn't like it. And it's frustrating for Chloe that she still doesn't understand why everyone's feeling that way. Because they were just _playing_, that's all – and now everyone's acting weird, and Chloe thinks it's dumb, because all she cares about is that she made a new friend, and she's afraid that they're going to stop Beca from playing with her, now, even though her mom said before that Beca could come over whenever she wanted to.

"Damn brats are everywhere," Beca's mom groans, laying her head in Beca's lap.

"I'm sorry, Mama," Beca says quietly, patting her mom's head like Chloe pats her puppy, Garfield. "We'll be quiet," Beca promises.

"Beca, honey," Chloe's mom starts, clearing her throat – but when she turns around to face Beca, Chloe thinks her face looks red like when she cried a lot after they watched _Titatnic_ that one time, "how would you like to stay the night at our house, hm?"

Beca frowns and shakes her head. "I can't. I have to go home to wait for my dad."

"Stupid girl," Beca's mom snorts. "Your father isn't – "

"You can't call her stupid," Aubrey frowns seriously, peering over the seat in front of her with her fingers curled around it. "It's not nice. And she's really smart, anyway, so you're _wrong_."

Chloe thinks Mrs. Mitchell tries to answer, but Beca frowns at Aubrey and shakes her head. "You can't do that," she whispers. "It makes her mad," she adds quietly. Then, a little louder, Beca asks her mom, "Dad's not coming home tonight, too, Mama?"

"He's not – "

"No, he won't be back tonight, sweetheart," Chloe's mom interrupts, giving Mrs. Mitchell a really mean look that makes Chloe press into the back of her seat; she gets a very upset look from her mom when she does things she isn't supposed to, like when she goes to Aubrey's house without asking first, but the look she's giving Beca's mom is _way _madder than that, and Chloe decides she doesn't like it at all. "Would you like to stay with us?"

"I have to take care of my mom," Beca says quietly, but she looks back at Chloe and Aubrey like she really wants to stay the night, and Chloe wants her to, also, because that sounds really fun. And maybe Aubrey could stay, too, if she asks her dad, and they could all have a sleepover together!

"Well, how about she stays with us, too?" Chloe's dad suggests. Her mom looks over at him strangely for a minute, before he says, "We'll make sure she gets better, and you and Aubrey and Chloe can play a while longer. How does that sound?"

Beca hesitates and looks down at her mom, but Chloe thinks her mom is asleep, because – she realizes with a tiny giggle – she thinks Beca's lap is _snoring_.

"I'm not supposed to be a bother, and Dad says I'm not supposed to stay before I'm welcome," Beca says, nodding slowly as she remembers what her dad told her.

But Chloe _wants_ Beca to stay the night. Then maybe they could talk about how everyone's acting funny, and they could probably even watch a movie like Aubrey wanted, too.

Chloe looks at her mom, who seems really confused for a moment before she smiles a little, and Chloe hears her dad laugh from deep in his belly. It makes her feel happy, because if her mom is smiling and her dad is laughing, then they can _all_ start being happy again.

"You mean you're not supposed to _over_stay your welcome?" Chloe's mom suggests gently, in that voice that Chloe remembers from when she tried to tell her cousin that she was going to the ocean instead of going to the beach when she was five.

"That's what I said," Beca tells her, forehead scrunched up on her face like she's confused.

"No," Aubrey huffs impatiently. "You said 'stay _before_,'" she tells Beca.

"Oh," Beca frowns. "_Over_stay," she says. "I'm not supposed to _over_stay my welcome," she repeats, and Chloe thinks she closes her eyes and whispers it again, like she's trying to remember.

Chloe does that sometimes when she's practicing her spelling words with Aubrey.

"Well, sweetheart," Chloe's mom laughs softly, "you're _very_ welcome to stay the night with us. Would you like to?"

Beca bites at her lip for a second, and Chloe thinks she probably shouldn't do that because then she'll maybe bleed a little, but she's too eager to hear Beca's answer, so she decides she'll tell Beca that she shouldn't do that later.

"You'll help me take care of my mom?" Beca asks, tilting her head sideways a little. "Dad usually helps me, but Mama said he's not coming back tonight, and it's hard to do it myself because she doesn't like me very much and gets mad when I try to talk to her. So I can stay if you help me make her better," Beca explains.

Chloe turns to her parents with wide, hopeful eyes and a little bit of a pout; Beca said she'd stay the night!

Why are they taking so long to answer?

But Chloe's mom tucks her lips between her teeth and nods, thickly vowing, "We promise to help you tonight, Beca."

Chloe's glad that this means Beca can stay over, but Chloe thinks the lights from the bright 'OPEN' signs make it so that she can see her mom's eyes sparkling more than they should, and Chloe thinks maybe it's because she's crying again.

Chloe just wishes her mom would smile like she did earlier, because suddenly Chloe doesn't feel very happy anymore.


End file.
